Communications Practice
Edward Tsang
I prefer to talk face-to-face talks, Skype or phone calls.
I treat emails like posts, which I do not check every minute.
Whenever I can, I read my emails once everyday, but that cannot be guaranteed.
Mobiles:
- The most reliable way to contact me is to text my mobile, if I have given you my mobile number.
- I do not normally retrieve voice messages, as 90% of them are adverts, unfortunately.
Emails:
-
Emails consume too much of our lives.
- Most of my work requires concentration. Therefore, I normally do not read my emails during working hours.
- I do not always read my emails daily.
- So there is no point emailing me at, say, 2pm asking me for an appointment at 3pm.
- I read my latest emails first.
- My mailbox is filtered by the University of Essex. They are quite reliable.
Unfortunately, they do make mistakes occasionally and filter out genuine communications.
The most reliable way to communicate with me is by face-to-face talks or by phone.
- Since retirement, I access my Essex University inbox infrequently.
When I do, it normally have accumulated hundreds of emails.
Occasionally, I do miss important email.
- Note on Chinese (中文) emails: In several occasions, the University's spam filter removed emails with Chinese characters.
- Personal vs work emails: I try to separate them whenever I can.
Zoom:
Skype:
- If you see me online in Skype under the name
bracil.net, then I am (virtually) "in my office".
Please feel free to Skype call or chat to me. I'll answer you when I am free.
- I use a separate Skype account for family and friends
Linkedin:
- My account on
Linkedin is registered under my essex account.
- This is my professional network.
- I don't visit LinkedIn frequently
Social media:
- I have FaceBook account, but I don't use FaceBook often.
- You are welcome to
join me on facebook.
- In particular, I welcome my students and ex-students to join me there in order to keep in contact.
- My official facebook account is registered under my email account @gmail: bracil.net.
- I have WhatsApp, WeChat accounts. Unfortunately, I cannot keep find time to use them often.
Sometimes I fail to access them for over a month.
Use of Chinese (中文):
- I am happy to speak Mandarin or Cantonese with my Chinese students. However, for work, I prefer to use English.
This is to show fairness to other students. Besides, I want students to get learn in English while they are in UK.
My typing of Chinese is 10 times slower than my typing in English.
- 我很樂意用中文與學生交談,不過我用英文學習,所以在公事上我習慣用英文.
My contact information
Maintained by
Edward Tsang;
Last updated 2021.03.07